Stoking mechanism for furnaces.



No. 705,599. Pawnted 1u|y`29, 1902.

W. MCCLAVE.

STOKING MECHANISM FR `I.IFHU\CES` Application filed Dec. 28, 1901.1.

(No Mode'l.) l 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

W. MGCLAVE.

STOKING'MEGHANISM FOR FURNACES.

(Application filed Dec 28, 1901 Patented July 29,' |902.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Ns. 705,599. Patented my 29, |902.

w. MccLAvE. STDKING MEGHANISM FOR'FURNACES.

(Application mea ne'. 2s, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT,7 OEEICE.

WILLIAM MCCLAVE, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MCCLAVE- BROOKS COMPANY, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

. ,sT'oKlNe MECHANISM FOR FURNACE'S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 705,599, dated July 29, 1902. Application iiled December 28, 1901. Serial Nohfi'll. (No model.) i

To @ZZ whom, it may concern: by a forced feed itV isusual to employ a re- Be it known thatI, WILLIAM MGCLAVE, a ciprocating slide or pusher inthe lower porcitizen of theUnited States, residing at Scran` `tion of the hopper, which as it moves back 55 ton, in the county of Lackawanna and State and forth will push given quantities of fuel 5 of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new out upon the grate in the furnace.

and useful `Improvements in Stoking Mech- I have illustrated such a mechanism in the anism for Furnaces; and I do hereby declare drawings, in whichthe following to be a full, clear, and exact de' 1 l isa hopper for a furnace, adapted to re` 6o scription of the invention, such as will enable ceive the fuel which is to be fed upon the grateL Io others skilled in the art to which it appertains 2 represents a reciprocating pusher mountto make and use the same. I `ed in the bottom of the hopper and moving Myinvention relates to stoking mechanism back and forth overthe dead-plate 3 of the for furnaces, and has particular relation to furnace. `This pusher 2'consists of a com- 65 means for feeding fuel from a fuel-hopper to paratively long webbed bar extending from I5 the upper end of an inclined grate in a furone end of the hopper to the other and connace. A nected by suitable mechanism with a rocking It consists in a stoking lneans comprising power-shaft 4,-mo`untedoutside the front 5 a reciprocating pusher, a rocking member Aof the furnace. `Itis preferable to connect- 7o outside the furnace-front for actuating the the operating means with a long pusher of zo same, the said rocking member being jourthis character aty at least two places, so that naled upon a power-shaft, and means for regexactly the same amount of movement will ulating the amount of motion imparted from be imparted to one end of the said pusher the power-shaft to the said rocking member that is A given to the other. By this means 75 wherebythe throw of the reciprocating pusher there will be no twisting or uneven movement a 5 is altered. 7 I given to the said pusher. The pusher 2 may It further consists in certain other novel be made of sufficient length to extend enconstructions, combinations, and arrangetirely across the front of the furnace; but in ments of parts, as will be hereinafter fully furnacesof the size Ausually employed with. 8o described and claimed. mechanical stokers itis preferable to employ 3o In the accompanying drawings, Figure l two hoppers, as shown in Fig. AEZ of the drawreprese'nts aV vertical. transverse section ings, and employ a separate pusher for each through a stoking-hopper forafurnace, showhopper. ing a reciprocatingfpusher adapted to work Mounted upon the rock-shaft 4'in`front of 85 in the lower end thereof and means outside each hopper is a rocking member 6, which is 55 the furnace-front for operating the same. loosely journaled on said rock-shaft, being Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of a formed with an elongated sleeve 7, having furnace,showing fuel-hoppers mounted therebearings S S at its ends, so that the said sleeve on and pusher-operating mechanism arranged onlyA engages the shaft 4t at its ends and not 9o upon a front rock-shaft. Fig. 3 represents a for its entire length. The sleeve 7 is formed 4o detail View, partially in section andpartially with outwardly-extending arms 9 at each end, in elevation, of fthe rocking actuating memwhich extend at their outerends parallel with ber for the hopper-pusher. Fig. 4t is a detail the shaft 4 `andare formed with enlargements sectionalview showing themeans for vary- 10, intowhichare screwed wrist or journal 95 ing the throw ofsaid rockingmemher. Fig. pins 11. These wrist-pins 1l are preferably 45 5 is a top plan view of a connecting member in the form ofheaded bolts screwedinto the for operating two pushers simultaneously. ends of the arms 9, as illustrated in Fig. '3. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same applied Each of these wrist-pins 11 is connected by to a power-shaft. Fig. 7 is a transverse secmeans of a pitman l2 with the pusher 2, the roo tion through the connecting member, showinner end of the pitman engaging a pair of 5o ing the journal for engaging the pitman of perforated lugs 13. Each outer end of the the hopperpusher. pitman is formed with an eye 14, loosely en- In supplying fuel to the grate of a furnace gaging the wrist-pins l1. The wrist-pins 1l are made of suflicient length so that the sleeve 7 may be moved longitudinally upon the shaft 4 without moving the pitmen 12 to one side or the other. In order to guard against such movement of the pitmen 12, I preferably place brackets upon the furnace-front 5, providing the said brackets with slots or apernotch 19.

tures 16,'through which the said pitmen 12 may move as they are reciprocated in actuating the pusher 2. The said pitmen 12 are thus positively guided in their reciprocating movement by the brackets 15 and will not be iniuenced by the longitudinal movement of the sleeve 7 and the wrist-pins 11, carried thereby, when the said sleeve is moved longitudinally on the shaft. The movement of the shaft 4 is imparted to the sleeve 7 to a greater or less extent by means of a collar 17, secured to said shaft 4 and provided with a laterally-projecting lug 18, which is arranged to extend into a correspondingly-shaped recess or notch 19 in one end of the sleeve 7. The lug 18 is tapered at its sides and engages a correspondingly-tapered face in the notch 19, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. The amount of movement imparted to the sleeve 7 from the collar 1'7 is regulated by the extent to which the lug 18 projects into the said If the sleeve 7 is held upon the shaft 4, so that the notch 19 only engages the lug 1,8 near its point or outer end, the said sleeve will only receive a comparatively small amount of movement from the shaft, since the shaft can move quite a distance before the lug 18 will engage the opposing face of the notch 19. If, however, the sleeve 7 is forced closer to the collar 17, there will be less play between the lug and the recess or notch 19, and the sleeve will be forced to turn to a greater extent. When the sleeve 7 is forced snugly against the collar 17, the lug 18 will be brought into a tight engagement with the notch or recess 19, and the sleeve 7 will then receive the full amount of movement which is given to the shaft 4. The position of the sleeve 7 with respect to the collar 17 is controlled by means of an adjusting-nut 20, which is arranged to bear against the opposite end of the sleeve from the collar 17. This nut 2O engages the screw-threads 21 of a sleeve 22, which is keyed or otherwise firmly fixed in position upon the shaft 4 after the sleeve 7 has been slipped upon the same. The nut 2O is preferably formed with a projecting flange 23, forming a hand-engaging portion which may be milled or otherwise roughened, so as to be easily grasped and turned. A jam or lock nut 24 also engages the threads of the sleeve 22, and after the nut 2O has been adjusted to give the proper play to the sleeve 7 the said nut 24 is screwed tightly against the nut 20, so as to lock the same in its adjusted position. It will be evident that the throw of the arms 9, carried by the sleeve 7, can be easily and accurately adjusted by lneans of the nuts 2O and 24 to vary the throw given to the pusher 2 in the hopper. Where there are two hoppers upon the furnace, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the mechanism for operating the two pushers, one in each hop per, is preferably complete upon each side of the machine, there being separate sleeves 7 7 for each pusher and separate adjusting means and operatingcollars 17 for each. By this structure one side of the furnace may be arranged to have fuel fed to it more rapidly or less rapidly than the other side. ever, tooperate both of the pushers from one lugged collar 17, in which case l connect the sleeves 7 7, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, by means of a bar 25, which may be formed integral with both of said sleeves or may be secured to the ends -of each. This bar 25 bridges the space between the two sleeves, and in order to facilitate its connection with the pitmen of the pushers is formed with journals 26 26, which are arranged in the same position which would have been occupied by the wrist pins 11 had the two sleeves remained disconnected. A curved slot 27 through the connecting-bar 25 at each journal 26 accommodates the engagement of the said journals by the pitmen. By this structure the bar 25 is not appreciably weakened atI the point of its engagement with the pitmen, since the journals 26 complete the line of metal along the inner side of the bar 25 and strengthen the same at these points. .The bar 25 is preferably of a flattened elliptical or oval shape in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 7, so that a verystilf bar is formed Without a great bulk of metal. In this structure only one lugged collar 17 is needed, as shown in Fig. 6. This collar engages the notch, as above described, in one of the sleeves 7, and the motion therefrom is communicated through the bar 25 to the other sleeve 7, so that no lugged collar or binding-nuts are employed in connection with said latter sleeve.

Of course it will be understood that the rock-shaft 4 receives its rocking movement from any suitable source of power. (Not shown.)

The pusher 2 preferably slides back and forth upon the dead-plate 3, having a frictional contact therewith at one point-v-say at the outer edge thereof-as at 2S, while the inner edge of the pusher 2, which engages the fuel and receives its weight when it is thrust inwardly, is preferably mounted upon antifriction-wheels 29, so as to facilitate its operation. It will be evident that I may connect the pusher with the sleeve 7 at more than two points, if desired, without departing in the least from the spirit of the invention. It will be seen that the throw of the pusher 2 can be altered without stopping the movement of the rock-shaft 4, it beingeasy to manipulate the nuts 2O and 24 upon a rock-shaft of this character.

Of course it will be evident that the lug 1S may be formed upon or secured to the shaft 4 in any suitable manner aside from the collar 17, heretofore described, and I do not wish It is sometimes desirable, how-V IOO IIO

to be understood 'as limiting my invention to the use of such a collar.

From the above description it will be evident that the pushers may be operated at dierent speeds and have different amounts of throw with respect to the actuating rockshaft 4 as found desirable, the mechanism usedfor producing such a result being extremely easy of manipulation and yet positive in its action.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- f 1. A stoking mechanism,comprisin g a rockshaft, a pusher operating in the fuel-hopper, means for reciprocating the same, comprising a rocking sleeve on said shaft, means projecting from the rock-shaft and directly engaging the rocking sleeve, and means for adj usting the rocking sleeve with respect to the said projection for altering the throw of said sleeve and thereby the extent of the movement of the pusher, substantially as described.

2. A stolring mechanism for furnaces, comprising a reciprocating pusher adapted to feed fuel upon a grate, a power-shaft, an actuating projection thereon, a rocking sleeve journaled on said shaft and connected with the said pusher, means upon the said shaft for adjusting the sleeve with respect to the said projectionfor varying the amount of movement imparted by the rock-shaft to the said rocking sleeve, substantially as described.

3. A stoking mechanism, comprising a reciprocating pusher operating in connectionwith a fuel-hopper, a rock-shaft, and a rocking member, comprising a sleeve journaled on saidshaft, pitmen connecting said sleeve with the pusher, and longitudinally-adjustable means on the rock-shaft for varying the amount of movement imparted to said sleeve and thereby the throw of the pusher, substantially as described.

4. A stoking mechanism, comprising a pusher operating in connection with a fuelhopper, a rock-shaft for imparting movement thereto, a rocking member journaled upon the said rock-shaft, comprising a sleeve having arms projecting therefrom, Wrist-pins carried by the said arms, pitmen connecting the wrist-pins with the pusher, and means adjustable longitudinally of the rock-shaft for altering the amount of movement received by the sleeve from the rock-shaft in accordance with the extent to which it is desired t0 opcrate the pusher, substantially as described.

5. A stoking mechanism, comprising a pusher operating in connection with a fuelhopper, a rock-shaft for actuating the same, a rocking sleeve provided with a recess and adjustable longitudinally on said shaft and having end bearings journaled thereon, arms springing from said sleeve and extending parallel with the rock-shaft, wrist-pins carried by the ends of said arms and having comparatively long bearings formed thereon, pitmen connecting the said wrist-pins with the said pusher at a plurality of points, a collar upon the rock-shaft having a lug adapted to engage a recess formed in said sleeve, and means limiting the longitudinal movement of the sleeve on the rock-shaft for regulating the extent to which saidrecessed sleeve engages said lug for controlling the extent of the reciprocation of the said pusher, substantially as described.

6. Astoking means, comprisinga fuel-feeding pusher, a rock-shaft for actuating the same, adjusting mechanism interposed between the rock-shaft and the pusher, comprising a sleeve journaled on the rock-shaft, pitmen connecting the sleeve with the pusher, a lug carried by the said rock-shaft having a tapering contour, the said sleeve having a recess of correspondingly-tapering shape, and adjusting-nuts for holding the sleeve in engagement with the said lug, the movement received by the said sleeve corresponding to the extent to which the same is forced against the said lug, substantially as described.

7. A stelling means, comprising a reciproa cating pusher operating in a fuel supply mechanism, a rock-shaft, a sleeve journaled upon and capable of moving longitudinally thereon, pitmen connected at one end with the pusher and at their outer ends with the rocking sleeve, bracketson the furnace-front for holding the pitmen imposition, and means for limiting the longitudinal movement of the sleeve on the rock-shaft to regulate the movement of the pusher, the said brackets preventing the pitmen from being moved sidewise out of proper alinement when the sleeve is adjusted, substantially as described.

8. A stoking mechanism, comprising fuelfeed pushers, a rock-shaft for moving the same, sleeves journaled upon the rock-shaft opposite each pusher, means connecting the sleeves and the pushers, means for connecting the sleeves so that they will operate simultaneously, and means for limiting the longitudinal movement of one of the sleeves upon the rock-shaft with the same or a less movement than the movement of the rock-shaft, for operating both sleeves and varying the IOO IIO

throw of the pusher, substantially asde- 

